Final cooking class puts students in a pickle

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Instructor Bernice Brisson, Community Garden Educational Coordinator Paula Collins and instructor Heather Mossman pose beside one of the finished products. – Lucie Roy Photos

by Lucie Roy

The Morinville Centennial Community Garden Society pickling class was held Sept. 3, the last in a series of cooking and food preparation classes sponsored by Sobeys Morinville. The final session was co-sponsored by Mother’s Market Garden, a regular presence at the Morinville and Legal Farmers’ Markets. They provided two instructors for the evening: Bernice Brisson and Heather Mossman.

Thirteen participants spent the evening learning how to make home-made pickles and pickled beets.

For the pickles, participants made the brine, washed the cucumbers and dill, sterilized the jars and then filled them with mustard seed, dill, garlic before packing them with cucumbers. As they poured the brine into the jars, they made sure to leave a half inch headspace before putting on the lids and placing the jars in boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes. Once removed from the water the jars are to remain undisturbed for 24 hours.

Pickled beets were prepared by cooking unpeeled beets until they were tender but not fully done. The produce is then immersed in cold water the tops and ends are cut off. The beets are then packed into hot jars. Once placed in the boiling water for 10 minutes the beets finish cooking without becoming mushy.

Each participant took home jars of the finished product with them.

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Instructor Heather Mossman of Mother’s Market Garden shows how pickles change colour once immersed in hot water.

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Instructor Bernice Brisson of Mother’s Market Garden fields questions on pickling.

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